Boarded up houses at MIllfield Manor in Newbridge which are being used for drinking parties and anti social behaviour .

FIRE safety engineers identified a number of major deficiencies after carrying out an inspection of vacant houses in Millfield in Newbridge where six homes were engulfed in flames in a half an hour on 31 March.

Kildare Co Council commissioned a firm of fire safety engineers to carry out an inspection on a number of vacant houses in Millfield (No’s 84-89) to establish whether or not the units complied with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations and a number of concerning breaches were discovered.

The council has refused to publish the report highlighting the deficiencies but has communicated the findings to the steering committee of the Millfield Residents.

The report raises concerns about a number of construction flaws, including the party walls in the timber frame houses, which in the event of a fire, could result in a rapid spread of flames between homes.

The group representing residents and homeowners met with Kildare Co Council officials last Wednesday when they were presented with the findings of the report. The meeting was described as “highly emotional” with one of the residents reportedly breaking down in tears when the extent of the possible implications became known.

“The group outlined the fears and concerns of people living in the development. They pointed out that Kildare Co Council has a duty of care to all residents and homeowners at Millfield Hawthorns,” the committee said in a statement.

The group asked the council to fund the appointment of an independent fire expert to assist them in assessing the report and that the council funds a structural and fire safety study of an occupied home and apartment within the development.

“Residents have sought financial and other supports from Kildare Co Council to enable them feel safe in their homes,” the statement added.

“The representative group is querying the speed at which the fire spread through the six terraced homes at the Millfield Hawthorns development. The homes were gutted in 25 to 35 minutes. The group understands each home should have had a compartmentation time of one hour. The group is also seeking all Kildare Fire Service reports on the blaze.”

Issues that raised concern included the unsuitability of the material used in the party walls that separate each of the houses and the fact that these walls are not built all the way to the underside of the roof.

Residents were told at the meeting that it was their own responsibility to have their homes surveyed and to undertake any remedial action that may be required.

Senior officials in the council are due to meet with the residents again in a week’s time.

The council noted that the report relates only to the vacant houses examined and stated that they are not releasing the report as “it cannot, and should not, be used as a basis for conjecturing that other homes in Millfield are deficient in some way.  The only method for a home owner to determine if there are deficiencies in their home is to have an inspection carried out by a suitably qualified professional.”